Such is Life

Writing the balls to the wall Blog on Dan Rather was my first. It's true, I was a virgin blogger! My parents must be proud of my prolonged chastity and every teenager in America must consider me an imbecile. Such is life.

Getting pissed leads to pontification, depression has a lot of energy as well. The resulting geyser of emotion was labeled a blog, and I'm now a convert since I got more mail from one blog in one day than in 25 years of reporting for the corporate media. Famous people wrote me. I will not drop names, but suffice it to say they too believe Dan Rather deserves his chance to explain his latest brawl with the Bushes who apparently use the big stick and the big lie, and they do take prisoners. But, according to Jimmy Carter don't treat them too well.

Motivated by an understanding of the stink of corporate cronyism and corporate media dirty tricks, I read so many op-ed pieces about Dan Rather I was stunned by how quickly and judgmentally Americans now discard their heroes. Kurt Vonnegut wrote about the human traumas that distort emotions and can make us all feel disengaged, and dehumanized. When people are made to feel helpless, they lash out--sometimes at the wrong source.

9/11 traumatized us, and now as if written from a manual for dictators and bullies, we divide instead of unite and the bad guys never have to worry about a powerful and unified movement. Buckshot hatred scattered and unfocused. In Dan Rather's case, he risked his life more times than I can count in war zones from Vietnam to Afghanistan to help us gain knowledge that can only be gathered by reporters on the ground at the scene. How many Anchors do that today?

As for me, I took some hits from bloggers who said I was guilty for not leaving the corporate media sooner. What did the angry voices think I was doing since President Bush decided to illegally invade Iraq? If I wasn't being a pain in the ass at work fighting for discussion and analysis, I was directly questioning why, for instance, we dropped the Israeli Hezbollah war story---which was only 30 seconds long anyway -- for a story on a new Wal-Mart coming to the Bay Area.

The media managers changed after the war. Many came from sales. And most were middle-- aged white men who played golf together and made sure Sunday was spent at church. Have you noticed the more out of control people feel, the more churches are built? A big mouthed girl who loved Linda Ellerbee, Molly Ivans, Ann Richards, and Barbara Jordan is not exactly their dream date.

Here's just one story illustration that made me begin to believe I may have been up against the same type situations locally, as Dan Rather was nationally.

I remember coming into an editorial meeting with pictures of a car bombing in Baghdad in 2004 on a day the afternoon white house press release said, "All was quiet in Baghdad that day." I had received an e-mail an hour earlier from a friend fighting in Iraq who took pictures of a car bombing proving the white house press release to be bird cage liner. There were bodies on the road, blood was everywhere and a person clearly burned alive inside the car. Either the Bush administrator hadn't gotten word yet, or journalists were given lies to tell the public.

No one had actually told me I wasn't a journalist anymore, so naturally I thought this was a story. I walked into the meeting put my computer down, clicked on the picture and asked every producer, editor, and reporter to come and look. Before 9/11 and the Great Bait and Switch, State-of-the-Union speech of 2003, journalists in the room would have fought over who would do the story. They would have run out the door looking for those who could explain the contradiction. Instead, I found myself smack dab in the red zone.

"We can run these pictures, show the white house press release and compare what a soldier says with the misinformation the white house is putting out," I said. A newsroom and editorial meeting are never quiet, but at that moment there was silence. Then an interrogation began. "Where did you get those?" A recently hired news manager asked angrily. "From my friend in Iraq." "How do you know it's today?" Someone barked across the room with sarcasm? "Well the date, see it's in the right hand corner of the video showing it was taken just hours ago Iraqi time." I pointed like a third grader to the numbers on the top of the screen. I felt as vulnerable as a soldier in a humvee without bullet proof glass.

I waited. Then in an "Alice in Wonderland" kind of way, the conversation moved on without mentioning the e-mail and the car bombing. I vaguely heard someone suggesting a story on a 100 year old woman's birthday party! Now that's journalism. I interrupted with a smart ass remark. "So, I suppose we need to change our promos. Instead of In-depth news all the time, how about See, no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil, as our new promos." A friend shot me a look. I shut up. I trusted him to know I had gone too far. I was trying to land in a hotspot in a new 119 million dollar military aircraft, the V - 22 Osprey. My ass was grass.

Comments

[longislandlol]

We who are gut-wrenchingly honest like the esteemed Mr. Rather seem to be the ones who may appear vulnerable to the corporately greedy types- but when we are wronged we slouch for no one! Let's all support Mr. Rather any way we can...

[Zentomato]

Thanks for a great article Leslie. Your on my list of must-reads. Dan is the man and I have supported him for years and still do. He carried on the legacy of Edward R Murrow and Walter Cronkite. Dan is an honorable man qho lives up to the highest ethics of journalism.
Although the documents presented in the case may have been questionable no one ever refuted the documents CONTENT. The Col's secretary attested to the content. Yet the Rovain directed attack media focused in on the messenger and not the message. I hope Dan wins his lawsuit. He deserves no less.

[InofTouch]

So then why didn't he say anything during the beginning of the Iraq war..???

[dadw5boys]

DAN RATHER IS AN AMERICAN I WOULD TAKE A LOAN ON MY HOME TO HELP IF HE ASK.

[xs10shl1]

Leslie Griffith!

Great to read you here. I've missed you on our 10 o'clock news and wondered where you were. Both your posts here have been so great and so right on for me. Thank You.
Right after 9-11 Dan Rather was the anchor who got me through that whole nightmare; he projected a sincerity that was somehow comforting. I vividly remember staring at my tv set and seeing that the war machine was about to go into effect. I kept looking at the men of this administration on my screen and thinking "they're going to use this to go to war, to kill more people, no, no, no..." And Dan Rather seemed like one of us - vulnerable and sadder than sad. I'll never forget him for that desperately needed comfort. I remember feeling so alone and he was there. It was my 4th day in my new apartment in Chico and wanting to be in touch with my Bay Area, I would turn to you and Dennis each night for news of my 'real' home. You made me feel closer to my hometown and I won't forget you or Dennis for that either. Such horrific times.
I didn't mean to go on so; thank you for posting here. I'll keep looking for your brilliant pieces and wishing you and your Family well. Best to you, Leslie Griffith.

[whomung]

I support Dan.... He remains a man of integrity

[baltimore6101]

i hope dan rather succeeds with his law suit and the truth comes out. i'm also waiting for someone to write something about the terrible treatment the bush administration has given jimmy carter! in the past few months they've released statements saying he was insignificant and what he has to say matters less and less- always in response of course to carter pointing out flaws in our election process, defending democracy & human rights- those things that matter less & less!

[Benny59]

I have followed Dan Rather for years and learned to trust him as I did Walter Cronkite. If you watched him on HDNet, several of his programs were directed toward trying to make sense of the transition the MSM has made and the fallout from that move. I must admire a man who has the courage to stand for his beliefs even if it can mean the end to a stellar career. I will be following this story very carefully because I think it is true and Dan will be vindicated. He doesn't strike me as the suicidal type.

[JScott]

He's had some good reporting on HDnet that I happened to catch on a HDTV flat screen tv at the hotel I had checked into. In a way he's smart to go to media that is just now developing, we may yet see him again 'in the mainstream'.

[mgloraine]

Dan Rather had the goods on Bush, so he was attacked and smeared by Rove and his propaganda machine. It is important to follow through with his lawsuit for the sake of Rather's reputation AND to prevent BushCo from establishing their lies as a replacement for historical facts.

It is important for history to be recorded accurately so that posterity will know George W. Bush as he truly is: a liar, a coward, and a fraud, not an elected President but a cheater who robbed this country of its true chosen leader.

When little George establishes his "presidential" library, the citizens of this country will be prepared to adorn the structure and signage with a big red asterisk.

[jcorrington]

For sure, I have NOT abandoned Rather, I think he was right and I hope you continue to support him.

Your name is now on my radar and I will read all that you write. Thank you.

dell8300
ie 7.0

[freespeach]

I agree with jcorrington.

Keep up the good fight, Leslie.

[Merlin7]

We should talk less about Rather and more about the real problem -- corporate ownership of the media. As long as a handful of corporate bigwigs set the news agenda, Americans will continue to be woefully uninformed and plied with big business approaches to every problem and situation.

For decades the corporate domination of our media was mostly annoying. Now, however, it has become a serious threat to world peace and the very future of humankind. It's no coincidence that America fights one unnecessary war after another; that's where the profits are. And notice that the huge rip-offs in our military spending go largely unreported and uncommented on.

In some ways living in the USA has become like living in the USSR circa 1950 -- especially when you start to question why we're constantly bombing people around the world.

[PadrePio]

Ms. Griffith:

As some one who watched your work I want to say you have hit it dead on the head again when you say CORPORATE MEDIA! That is the problem and until something is done to balance the media playing field we will have the kind of crap that passes for news these days. The only hope we have is the internet and the telecom bandits are trying to steal this. We need all people who have access to this and other blogs to keep hammering home the points you have made and the need for net neutrality.

[mamacat]

We have not been exposed to the evidence the way a jury would be. Hopefully, Dan will be able to take his case to court, where a jury can give it the attention it deserves.
It seems to me with what I can gather from the press that he may have been framed, while trying to report the truth.
There is very little doubt at this point that Bush's presidency has been an absolute disaster. Perhaps if we had paid more attention to the reports of his abusing cocaine and dodging military service, he would have never been elected. But, it appears that the members of the press are afraid to report any personal facts where he and his administration are concerned.

[realitytrumpsbull]

Big Noise was made about China trying to censor
the news, why no public outcry when it happens
in OUR country? I say, 'embed THIS', end the
war, and start impeachment proceedings.